TYLER, Texas — Thousands of dockworkers could walk off the job disrupting the supply chain if a labor deal between dockworkers and an industry group representing port operators and shipping companies isn’t reached by midnight Tuesday.
Thirty-six ports from Maine to Texas would be impacted in the first strike for dockworkers in nearly 50 years.
"Those ports handle about 91% of all containerized imports, and about a third of all the containerized pharmaceutical imports," said UT Tyler marketing professor Dr. Kerri Camp. "The products that we would see impacted first would be those that are refrigerated or frozen, because those refrigerated containers can't sit idle for very long. Possibly causing shortages and price increases"
Camp said the looming strike and inflation have shifted consumer patterns.
"(Consumers are) purchasing from local farmers markets and local produce, the beef producers and poultry producers. We have those in this East Texas area," Camp said.
Tonya Woolverton, operations supervisor at Lake Tyler Farmers Market, said they work closely with local farmers to get fresh food to consumers.
"The prices are not affected as much as you would see in a big box store," Woolverton said.
With weeks away from Thanksgiving, Camp said the impact will be felt not just in the grocery store. Holiday shopping could be impacted as well if the strike lasts longer than a month.
"My advice to consumers is go ahead and purchase those necessity items, things such as trying to get a 90 day supply of your pharmaceutical medications. Hopefully, the strike will not last more than a couple of weeks," Camp said.